Well point



Jan. 21, 1936,

T.l G. GRIFFIN wELL POINT Filed Feb, 8, 1935 IN VENT OR A A" n .Z3 5. ZZ

Patented Jan. 2l,v 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELL POINT Timothy-G. Griin, Yonkers, N. Y. Application February 8, 1935, Serial No. 5,644 4 Claims. (Cl. 166 5) The invention has relation to apparatus for draining water-containing soil, and particularly to devices commonly known as "well poin of the self jetting type, adapted to jet 5 the soil by water under pressure, whereby the device may be gradually sunk in the hole thus formed, and when sunk to they proper depth, adapted for withdrawing the water from the soil by suction, preparatory to excavating or other work.

Anobject of the invention is to provide a conical nozzle for a well point, provided with a` plurality of longitudinal passages adapted to deliver a plurality of streams or columns of water under pressure at the lowest point possible and in solid formation, so that they shall be concentrated upon the soil immediately in advance of the lower end of said nozzle. Another object is to provide such a nozzle adapted not only for jet driving but also for hammer driving, as by repeated taps of a hammer, whereby it is possible to drive through hard sub-soils, thereby eliminating expensive and tedious drilling operation prior to the use of the well point. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinationsof parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating an embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the well point, partly broken away, with the valve in the position assumed in. the jetting operation; Figure 2 is a detail side view, partly broken away, of the lower head of the well point, showing the conical nozzle; Figure 3 isra detail bottom plan viewlof the conical nozzle; Figure 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Figure 1; Figure 5 is a section on the line 5 5, Figure 1; and Figure 6 is a section (enlarged) on the line 6 6, Figure 1, partly broken away.

In this drawing, the numeral I designates the lower head of the well point, including a valve seat 5, and a valve chamber 6, below the same and wherein works avalve l, adapted to engagei said seat..

An upper head 9,' is located above and in line with the head I, and connecting the two heads and concentric therewith is a cylindrical pipe I0,

59 the upper head having connected therewith a riser pipe II, in'one or more sections as required, and extending to the surface of the ground.

Surrounding the pipe I0, and concentric there-A 55 with, is a tubular cylindrical screen I2, spaced from said pipe by an annular drainage space I3, said pipe having at the lower end portions! thereof adjacent said valve lateral perforations I4, establishing direct communication for they drainage water from said annular space to the 5 said pipe.

The pipe I0 connecting the upper and lower heads has threaded engagement with interior threads of both heads, the interior thread 4 of the lower head extending downwardly to the; 10 valve seat 5, as ds also the lower end of said pipe, so that during the suction operation the valve 'I controls the opening of the lower end of said pipe to close the same when suction is applied, and whereby the device willbeadapted 1.5 to be hammer driven.

In order to stiflen or reinforce the construction and to space the-screen l2 from the pipe) I0, a longitudinally corrugated pipe I5, is 1ocated in the annular drainage space I3, between 25 .pipe I0 and said screen, thereby dividing said 1 space into a plurality of longitudinal drainage channels I3', said pipe being of such strength,

. due to its longitudinal corrugations, that it may be perforated throughout at I8, in similar man- 25 ner! to the perforation of the screen I2.

The lower head of the well point is provided with a special nozzle 3, adapted for both jet driving and for hammer driving, and having at the upper end thereof a suitable stop 8, 30 against which the ball valve I will rest during the jetting operation, said nozzle having an upper reduced threaded end engaging an interior thread of said head.

This nozzle 3 is provided with a solid longi- 35 tudinal center column 20, and a plurality of longitudinal passages 2|, surrounding and parallel t'o said center column, the lower end portion of the nozzle including said passages in th form of grooves 22. 40

In driving, in order to penetrate hard subsoils, it is important todeliver the plurality of y streams or columns of water under pressure from the passages 2I and grooves 22 of a conical nozzle at the lowest point possible and in l,solid 45 formation, so that the streams or columns of water shall be concentrated upon the soil immediately in advance of the lower end' of said nozzle, and this has hitherto never been accom- Dlished.

To this end, the grooves 22 are provided with inturned overhanging edge portions 23, and are of the same width throughout as that of said passages to substantially the extreme lower end of the conical nozzle. which is thereby adapted 55 to retain the streams of water against scattering and to deliver the same in solid formationv at the lowest point possible of a conical nozzle. 'Ihe passages 2| are oval or elongated crosssectionally to provide for increased sizeand water capacity in a nozzle of given size, thereby flattening the inner walls of said passages and of said grooves and the walls opposite thereto.

In order to adapt the conical nozzle 3 also for hammer driving, as by repeated taps of a hammer delivered upon the top of the upper head of the well point or of the riser pipe, said conical nozzle is provided with a flattened lower terminal surface 2,5, which intersects the walls of said grooves to provide a blunt lower end hav` ing radial drill-like wings 26, the lower edges of which take the impact of the hammer strokes in driving through hard sub-soils and which may be sharpened if desired. This lower terminal surface 25 is shown as somewhat convex.

In order to avoid blocking any of the passages 2| by the valve l, during the jetting operation, there is provided in the upper portion of the conical nozzle, below the stop 8, a vacant chamber 24, with which the upper ends of the passages 2l all communicate, said stop spanning said chamber.

The conical nozzle 3, is provided with two, or

. more, longitudinal ridges 28, which are adapted to loosen the soil and make a hole larger than the diameter of the nozzle casting in the turning of the well point around during the driving thereof, thereby lessening friction in installing or pulling the well point and facilitating both operations.

I claim:-

1. In a well point, a conical nozzle having a solid longitudinal center column and a plurality of longitudinal passages surrounding and parallel to said center column, the lower end portion of said nozzle including said passages as grooves; said grooves being throughout of the same width as that of said passages and having parallel inturned overhanging edge portions to thereby adapt the same to retain streams of water under pressure against scattering and to deliver said streams of water in solid formation immediately in advance of the lower end of said nozzle.

2. In a well point, a conical nozzle having a solid longitudinal center column and a plurality of longitudinal passages surrounding and parallel tosaid center column, the lower end portion of said nozzle including said passages as grooves; said grooves being throughout of the same width as that of said passages and having parallel in-l turned overhanging edge portions to thereby adapt the same to retain streams of water under pressure against scattering and to deliver said streams of water in solid formation immediately in advance of the lower end of the nozzle, the latter having a flattened.- lower terminal surface intersecting the walls of said grooves to provide radial drill-like wings.

3. In" a -well point, a conical nozzle having a solid longitudinal center column and a plurality of longitudinal passages surrounding and parallel to said center column, the lower end portion of said nozzle including said passages as grooves; said grooves being throughout of the same width as that of said passages and having parallel inturned overhanging edge portions to thereby adapt the same to retain streams of water under pressure against scattering and to deliver said streams of water in solid formationimmediately in advance of the lower end of said nozzle, said nozzle having an upper vacant chamber, said passages all communicating at the upper ends thereof with said chamber, and a valve stop located aboye and spanning said chamber.

' 4. In a well point, a conical nozzle having a solid longitudinal center column and a plurality of longitudinal passages surrounading and parallel to said center column, the lower end portion of said nozzle including said passages as grooves; said grooves being throughout of the same width as that of said passages and having parallel inturned overhanging edge portions to thereby adapt the same to retain streams of water under pressure against scattering and to deliver said streams of water in solid formation immediatelyv in advance of the lower end of said nozzle, the latter having a flattened lower terminal surface intersecting the walls of said grooves to provide radial drill-like wings, said nozzle having an upper vacant chamber, said passages all comy municating at the upper ends thereof with said chamber,- and a valve stop located above and spanning said chamber. v

- TIMOTHY G. GRIFFIN. 

